China-based automaker BYD won a contract from the city of Amsterdam for what the company says will be the largest-ever European fleet of battery-electric buses. BYD will produce 35 buses that will be used at the city's Schiphol Airport to shuttle passengers between terminals and aircraft on the tarmac. The buses, which will start going into service next July, will replace older buses and are expected to cut maintenance costs in addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the airport's air quality.

Last year, the city of Windsor, Ontario, ordered what was said to be North American's first municipal fleet of all-electric buses. The company was also victorious in a contest in Colombia last fall that was sponsored by the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and InterAmerican Development Bank (IABD) and that measured the miles per gallon-equivalent levels of various buses. BYD says its 40-foot-long buses have a 155-mile single-charge range.

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Europe's Largest Zero-Emissions, Electric Bus Contract Awarded to BYD

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport contracts for 35 pure-electric buses

AMSTERDAM--(BUSINESS WIRE)--It was announced today at a signing ceremony that BYD Company, Ltd. was selected to supply Europe's largest, ZERO emissions, all-electric bus fleet. The fleet will be used to transfer passengers between airport terminals and aircraft at one of Europe's leading airports; the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. These 35 BYD buses will enter service in July of 2014 and will replace an ageing fleet of conventionally powered buses. The SUBSS Project (Sustainable Bus System of Schiphol) aims to provide a new generation of emissions-free, plane-side, transfer-vehicles to enhance the airport's image with both the customers and the airline brands. These high-technology buses will reduce maintenance and management costs and improve the overall airport air quality by reducing the emissions of green-house gases (GHGs like CO2 and NOx). The open-public tender was under intense competitive pressure from four other very established suppliers, so this is seen as a major triumph for BYD in the airport-transport industry and it comes at a time when all European airports are under increasing pressures to cut pollutants and reduce green-house gas emissions. "Winning this contract was a vital step in our strategy to deliver emissions-free, public-transport vehicles," said Isbrand Ho, BYD Europe's Managing Director. "We won this contract on the strength of our proven technology and ability to support their 10-year operating contract. We are confident that this high-profile contract will persuade many other bus operators inside and outside the airport business to consider all-electric BYD buses."

"We won this contract on the strength of our proven technology and ability to support their 10-year operating contract. We are confident that this high-profile contract will persuade many other bus operators inside and outside the airport business to consider all-electric BYD buses."

BYD's pure-electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by BYD's 15,000 engineers including: the advanced environmentally-friendly, Iron-Phosphate (or "Fe") batteries, in-wheel hub motors and regenerative braking. The break-through BYD Iron-Phosphate battery is fire-safe and non-polluting: there are no caustic materials contained in the battery, no toxic electrolytes or heavy metals and can be recycled or safely disposed of. The BYD ebus delivers a host of operational and environmental benefits for the public transport riders and for bus operators – it is very quiet and ensures a comfortable ride without vibrations, jerks or noise associated with the conventional buses and combustion engines. The bus achieves a superior range because it was built as a unique electric vehicle from the start and not converted from a conventional bus platform design. It features an all-aluminum frame with appropriate weight distribution with an internally developed energy recovery system (during braking). The BYD ebus can drive for 250 km (155 miles) even in heavy city traffic after a full, 5 hour, night-time charge. The BYD ebus is a proven, full-size 12 meter (40 foot) bus which has completed more than 17 million kilometers (10.6 M miles) in revenue service and has been evaluated in many major cities across Europe.

BYD's European headquarters in Rotterdam has been rolling out a wide range of pure-electric vehicles, including buses and taxis, all as part of its Green City Solutions program. In China, there are already over 1,000 such buses and in the first quarter of 2013 the BYD ebus obtained full European certifications. This allowed the company to start selling buses in the European markets. The Dutch province of Friesland was the first in Europe to place BYD electric buses into service. Orders have been awarded in China, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Uruguay, North and South America. The BYD electric bus has also completed successful evaluations in many European cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Budapest, Salzburg, Milan etc. For more information, visit www.byd.com, www.facebook.com/bydcompany or email pr@byd.com.

About BYD

BYD is ranked #1 at the top of Bloomberg's and Business Week's 2009 Tech 100 List (http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20100520006751/en/BYD-Tops-Bloomberg-Businessweek%E2%80%99s-12th-Annual-Tech) and is the leading manufacturer of advanced, environmentally-friendly battery technologies like the BYD's Iron Phosphate battery used in BYD electric vehicles and electric buses. BYD's solar panels and LED Lighting systems have CEC, TUV/CE and UL listings, and the company enjoys rapid growth in consumer electronics space and electrified transportation sector manufacturing under its BYD brand. BYD is the fastest-growing Chinese automotive and green energy technology enterprise. The company trades on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) under the ticker numbers HK.0285 – BYD Electronics and HK.1211 – BYD Company Ltd., as well as on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange under the ticker number 002594 - BYD Company Ltd. For more information, visit www.byd.com, www.facebook.com/bydcompany or email pr@byd.com.

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